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Ina Garten Banana Bread

Ina Garten banana bread delivers bakery-quality texture with a caramelized golden crust and moist sour-cream crumb. Whole walnut halves pressed on top add a classic look while the loaf bakes until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bananas
  • 3 ripe bananas Mash until smooth (a few small lumps are fine).
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Room temperature for easy creaming.
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs Room temperature.
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.5 cup sour cream Add for exceptional moisture.
Dry ingredients
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
Walnuts
  • 0.5 cup walnuts Toast and roughly chop; reserve whole halves for topping.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan and dust with flour, so the loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Cream the base
  1. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes, scraping the sides as needed for a smoother batter.
Add eggs and flavor
  1. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each, then mix in vanilla and sour cream until the batter looks uniform.
Add bananas
  1. Stir in mashed bananas until combined, keeping the batter thick and cohesive.
Combine dry ingredients
  1. Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
Add walnuts
  1. Fold in chopped walnuts for even distribution throughout the loaf.
Shape and top
  1. Pour the batter into the pan and press whole walnut halves down the center for a decorative topping.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake for 65–70 minutes at 350°F until deep golden and a toothpick comes out clean, then cool 15 minutes before turning out.

Notes

Pro tip: toast the walnuts until fragrant and press the whole halves firmly down the center so they stay visible on the caramelized top. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). For a dairy-light swap, use plain low-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for similar moisture.